By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
After two defeats to Olympiacos in Piraeus in the EuroLeague Playoff series, and before the resumption in Madrid next week, Real Madrid had obligations in the ACB League.
Chus Mateo’s side bounced back after the EuroLeague losses, taking down Basquet Girona 71-79 in Round 29, improving to 25-4 after 29 rounds in the domestic championship.
Dzanan Musa led the way with 22 points, shooting 6/7 from beyond the arc, while Mario Hezonja followed with 12 points. Facundo Campazzo also had a good game with 11 points and seven assists.
On the other side, Juan Marcos and Yves Pons had 11 points each, while Maximo Fjellerup followed with 10 points and six rebounds.
Barcelona approaches home-court advantage
Later Sunday in Palau Blaugrana, FC Barcelona edged out Unicaja, 83-81.
Following several lead changes, the team guided by Joan Penarroya went up to 18-11 and forced the Malaga-based club to 19-10 with five games left in the 2024-25 Liga Endesa Regular Season. However, the losing side retained a tiebreaker advantage.
Jabari Parker paved the way for Barca with 15 points, including seven in the fourth period. Kevin Punter recorded eight of his ten points over the last ten minutes. Youssoupha Fall posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.
In addition to Nicolas Laprovittola (right knee surgery), Chimezie Metu (right leg surgery), and Juan Nunez (right knee surgery) being ruled out for the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, Jan Vesely sat out due to back pain.
For the visitors, Tyson Carter and Kameron Taylor tallied 18 and 16 points, respectively.
Baskonia beats Valencia in double overtime thriller
The best game of Round 29 was undoubtedly played at Font de Sant Lluís, where Baskonia beat the hosts, Valencia Basket, 125-128 after double overtime.
Jean Montero hit the triple at the end of the fourth quarter that took the game to overtime, then Markus Howard rescued Baskonia with a three-pointer in the closing seconds of the added five minutes. In the second overtime, Baskonia pulled away 122-116, but it wasn’t enough for a peaceful ending. However, Baskonia managed to stay in front and eventually prevailed in what seems to be one of the best games in the ACB this season.
Howard led the way for Pablo Laso’s team with 36 points, while Trent Forrest followed with 27 points, eight rebounds, and six assists. Tadas Sedekerskis added 17 points, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot 12, while Khalifa Diop contributed 11 points.
On the other side, Montero had 32 points, seven assists, and six rebounds for Valencia, followed by Brancou Badio, Semi Ojeleye, and Josep Puerto, scoring 17 points each.
ACB Round 29
Casademont Zaragoza – Dreamland Gran Canaria 87-97
Coviran Granada – BAXI Manresa 86-80
Rio Breogan – Joventut Badalona 65-82
La Laguna Tenerife – Leyma Coruna 92-83
Girona – Real Madrid 71-79
Valencia – Baskonia 125-128 2OT (110-110, 94-94)
MoraBanc Andorra – Hiopos Lleida 96-79
Surne Bilbao – UCAM Murcia 80-83 OT (76-76)
FC Barcelona – Unicaja 83-81
STANDINGS: Real Madrid 25-4, La Laguna Tenerife 23-6, Valencia 21-8, Unicaja 19-10, FC Barcelona 18-11…